APA Blogs
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New Study: Community College Students Often Face Mental Health Challenges
Community college students have higher rates of mental health problems compared to same age peers at 4-year institutions, according to a new national study. It also found that community college students from traditionally marginalized backgrounds were more likely to have mental health problems and less likely to get treatment. The study appears online this week in Psychiatric Services, a journal of the American Psychiatric Association.
City Living and Mental Well-being
 More than half the world’s population lives in cities, and the number is expected to continue to increase in the coming decades. Living in urban areas has been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, including anxiety, depression and schizophrenia. Research using functional magnetic resonance imaging has identified changes in the brain indicating that urban upbringing and city living are linked to social stress processing.
Examining Mental Health Courts
People with mental illness are more likely to be arrested, to be denied or unable to pay bail, and to have lengthier stays in jails compared to those without mental illness. An estimated 2 million people with serious mental illnesses are incarcerated each year. One approach increasingly being used to help address the problem is mental health courts.
The Need for Food and Need for Social Interaction Show Similar Reactions in the Brain
A new study finds similarities in people’s craving for food in response to being hungry and people’s craving for social interaction in response to isolation. The research authors note this supports the notion that social interaction is a basic human need, similar to food and sleep.Â
Light, Sleep and Mental Health
Light, both natural and artificial, can affect our health and mental health in several different ways. Depending on the time of day, light exposure can promote or disrupt sleep. A persistently disrupted sleep cycle can contribute to a variety of health problems, including heart disease, obesity and mental health disorders. Research is also beginning to clarify non-circadian effects of light – light can have a direct impact on the sleep and mood centers in the brain.Â